The present invention relates to improving the appearance of the human body. More particularly, it relates to decreasing the quantity of excess deposits of fat, often referred to as cellulite. The present invention is concerned with the removal of cellulite using a method which includes subjecting a selected portion of the human body to pressure other than atmospheric pressure, and in one preferred form includes the cyclic variation of the pressure that is applied to the portion of the human body selected for cellulite removal between a plurality of prescribed pressure levels.
Individuals who are conscious of the appearance of their bodies have had at their disposal many means for improving their appearance. The most basic form of improving the appearance of the human body is through judicious choice of the type and quantity of caloric intake, coupled with some form of physical exertion or exercise. However, owing to predisposed factors such as genetically-controlled metabolism of food eaten, it is known to be more difficult for some individuals to control the appearance of their bodiesxe2x80x94namely cellulite.
Local storages of fat, sometimes called xe2x80x9cdepot fatxe2x80x9d occur due to improper nourishment and lack of adequate physical movement of the body in persons of all ages, but most notably in modern times the appearance of fat is becoming more noticeable in persons in the younger age categories, owing to various social factors.
The local storages of fat are often accompanied by cellulite, which resembles an orange peel in its outward appearance. Cellulite has been determined to be inflated fat cells in which waste materials of the metabolic process become stored. Reasons for the formation of cellulite reside in a deficient muscular pumping activity, which for its part is the result of too little movement, or, which is more frequently the case, the result of atonic or flaccid connective tissue. The term xe2x80x9ccellulitexe2x80x9d includes tissue which has had a local disturbance in the circulation of lymphatic cells due to insufficient muscular pumping activity which otherwise would cause removal of the metabolic waste products and toxins from such tissue.
Many prior art methods and devices have been contrived to alleviate the presence of cellulite, many of which attempt to reduce the storage of fat by activating the lipometabolism. For example, an ultrasonic treatment of the skin areas affected by local storage of fat is described in Beauty Forum, edition of August, 1996xe2x80x94Braun Verlag medizinische Fachzeitschriften GmbH and Co. K G, Karlsruhe: Ultraschall-Behandlung: xe2x80x9cNeue Erkenntnisse und Indikationenxe2x80x9d [Germanxe2x80x94Ultrasonic Treatment: xe2x80x9cNew Findings and Indicationsxe2x80x9d]. The treatment of the skin with ultrasonic waves activates the lipometabolism and waste materials can be removed. The lipometabolism is stimulated in particular by the deep thermal action of the ultrasonic waves. The deep massage which takes place at the same time by the sound waves has a positive action on any cellulite present.
Moreover, a cosmetic electro-physiotherapy is known from Skripten zur Elektrotherapie [Germanxe2x80x94Publications on Electrotherapy], Otto Steuernagelxe2x80x94Verlag Elektrotherapie Klaus Steuernagel in which physiotherapy electrodes are placed on each skin area in the area of the storages of fat via which current pulse forms are administered which differ in one and the same session.
In Profi Kosmetik-Journal, April 1992xe2x80x94Terra-Verlag, P.O. Box 102144, 7750 Constance: Neu im Institut [Germanxe2x80x94New in the Institute]: xe2x80x9cBody-Wrappingxe2x80x9d and GB 2,253,143 A describe body-wrapping. This is a cosmetic method with the aim of reducing storages of fat and of improving the appearance of the skin in the case of cellulite. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,987 teaches the carrying out of body-wrapping with an elastic bandage coated with a mineral solution in combination with a passive movement treatment of the area in question in order to reduce cellulite.
Of the methods of the prior art, none thus far have provided a gentle, yet effective method of improving the bodily appearance in cases where cellulite is present, which method brings about improvements in the bodily appearance without a direct contact with sound heads, electrodes, or winding foils on the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,368 teaches a device which comprises a pump for suction and exhaust of air by an electric motor. A crank is provided with a funnel type cup by means of a detachable hose. In use, an open portion of the cup is brought into contact with the part of the human body under pressure in an airtight fashion. Massage stimulation is performed by the air suction causing the surface of the body to swell, and by the air exhaust (discharge) causing the pressure on the surface of the body to return to ambient. Moreover, the cup is provided with an electric heating element to increase the massage stimulation effect by heated air, or an electrode for generating low frequency pulse signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,467 provides a method of stimulation of a body using a massage device that comprises a housing containing pressure means, an inlet for negative pressure with a plurality of projections located in a region of the inlet, and means for heating and cooling the user, comprising the steps of: 1) applying the housing inlet to a user and applying a negative pressure over a whole part of a body surface; and simultaneously: increasing mechanical pressure on local points distributed over the whole part of the body surface by acting on the local points with the plurality of projections and using the massage device to cool the part of the body surface by interrupting a supply of a fluid matter to the inlet which has been previously heated by the cooling and heating means; 2) maintaining the foregoing over a preset period of time; 3) reducing the negative pressure over the whole part of the body surface; 4) simultaneously with the reduction of negative pressure also reducing the mechanical pressure on the local points over part of the body surface; while warming the part of the body surface by supplying the fluid matter which has been previously heated by the cooling and heating means to the inlet; and 5) maintaining the steps 3 and 4 over a preset period of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,148 sets forth a hydraulic device for lymphatic drainage and massage of a part of the human body, which device has an enclosure capable of covering said part of the body, and through which a fluid circulates in the desired massage direction and at varying pressures. The enclosure includes a porous medium that is locally deformable so that the fluid circulates therethrough while being subjected to a given headloss at each point of deformation, thus affecting the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid in order to create a massaging effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,512 discloses a massage appliance for placing on a predetermined zone of the human body, the appliance comprising a generally bell-shaped hollow body having a bottom opening defined by a peripheral edge via which said appliance is applied to the zone to be massaged, said hollow body having at least one internal partition extending substantially to the same level as the plane containing the said peripheral edge so as to define mutually isolated compartments which are connected to a pump member, said at least one partition being disposed in such a manner that the compartments are of significantly different volumes in order to have different degrees of suction in each of said compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,318 describes a method for passively exercising a selected portion of a human body, the method comprising the steps of: a) applying a partial vacuum pressure to the selected portion of the human body; b) maintaining the partial vacuum pressure applied to the selected portion of the human body for a first predetermined period of time; c) releasing the partial vacuum pressure so that substantially atmospheric pressure is applied to the selected portion of the human body; d) maintaining the substantially atmospheric pressure applied to the selected portion of the human body for a second predetermined period of time; and e) cyclically repeating steps (a) through (d) to the selected portion of the human body. However, this reference only teaches those cases in which the pressure to which the portion of the body being treated is subjected to are pressures which are either both lower than atmospheric pressure, or those cases in which one pressure is a vacuum pressure and the other pressure is substantially atmospheric pressure. The present invention represents a remarkable increase in performance over the process taught in the ""318 patent by the use of superatmospheric pressures as one of the pressure levels between which the pressure applied to the portion of the body to be treated is cycled, as shall be evidenced by the data hereinafter presented.
U.S. Pat. reissue 36,958 sets forth a cylindrically-shaped hypobaric sleeping chamber with a length longer than its diameter having a size sufficient to accommodate no more than two reclining humans, having means for maintaining a selected internal pressure between 0.1 and 10 psi below the local ambient air pressure, and having means for providing fresh air to occupants of said chamber over a period of up to eight hours, said chamber further comprising: (a) an air-impermeable outer layer formed of essentially non-elastomeric material, and an inner frame of rigid or semi-rigid material, said outer is layer and inner frame when formed into said cylindrically-shaped hypobaric chamber having sufficient strength to withstand an external collapsing pressure of approximately 30 psig; (b) a substantially airtight ingress and egress means through said air-impermeable material of a size sufficient to allow a human to pass therethrough; (c) said means for providing fresh air comprising a vacuum pressure release valve located in said air-impermeable material responsive to a predetermined decrease in said internal pressure within said hypobaric chamber below ambient pressure for pulling fresh ambient air into said chamber; (d) said means for maintaining said selected internal pressure comprising a vacuum maintenance orifice located within said air-impermeable material through which air is removed from said chamber; and (e) said cylindrically-shaped hypobaric sleeping chamber weighing approximately 200 pounds or less.
The present invention is directed at a process for improving the appearance of a person possessing cellulite. A process according to the invention utilizes a sealable chamber which is capable of receiving the body of a person, excluding the head, or any portion of the body which contains cellulite that is desired to be reduced. The chamber is capable of maintaining any portion of such body at a pressure other than atmospheric pressure. The selected portion of the body that contains cellulite to be reduced is caused to be contained in the sealable chamber and subsequently the chamber is closed gas-tight. According to one preferred form of the invention, both legs and a portion of the abdomen are caused to be contained in the chamber, in such a way as to prevent the lymphatic vessels from being caught by a seal of the chamber. The pressure within the chamber is next caused to be reduced to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure to a pre-selected level of pressure conveniently referred to as the xe2x80x9cthreshold pressurexe2x80x9d level. The pressure within the chamber is next caused to be elevated to a pressure greater than the threshold pressure, which in a preferred embodiment is a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure, and most preferably in the range of about 20 to 60 mbar in excess of atmospheric pressure. The levels of pressure to which the portion of the body that contains cellulite to be reduced is exposed is alternated between the threshold pressure and the pressure that is greater than the threshold pressure for an effective number of times for improving the appearance of said person possessing cellulite by reducing the amount of cellulite present. Finally the pressure within the chamber is caused to return to atmospheric pressure, and the treatment is ceased.